It Takes a Whole System to Support Whole Families and Whole Children: Webinar Series Kickoff Resources

Ensuring pregnant families and those with infants and toddlers can thrive is a critical national goal requiring significant investment if it is to be met. However, families with young children, starting from the prenatal stage, often face numerous challenges. These include a lack of paid leave, inadequate housing and financial resources, and limited awareness of the often insufficient support programs, such as home visiting, child care, and early intervention services. Additionally, navigating the application process for these essential services can be difficult.

To better support families with young children, the prenatal-to-age-three (PN-3) system needs to be more cohesive and adopt a holistic, user-friendly approach.

The kickoff webinar of the Whole Child, Whole Family, Whole System Webinar Series engages attendees in a robust discussion about what a whole system approach is and how it can benefit pregnant individuals and families with young children. Adopting a whole system approach means integrating what may be seen as separate sectors into a more expansive early childhood system. This approach ensures that pregnant individuals and families with young children are met where they are, with dignity and respect. It also emphasizes centering family voices, actively reducing language and racial inequities, collaborating with leaders across sectors, building leadership capacity, utilizing data to plan strategic interventions, and effectively measuring outcomes.

Presenters in this kickoff webinar share their experiences with whole system efforts, discussing the processes involved, the challenges they overcame, the outcomes achieved, and ongoing struggles.

Slide deck.